


Latte

by ArsenicHazard



Category: Original Work
Genre: Cafes, Costumes, Crushes, Fluff, Halloween, M/M, lattes, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:48:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26489692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArsenicHazard/pseuds/ArsenicHazard
Summary: Halloween is just around the corner and Emi desperately want's to ask Hana to go with him.(Originally written for Inktober 2016)
Kudos: 1





	Latte

No matter how many times Emi recited the words over in the mirror, he could never swallow the nervousness of asking out his crush. 

After kissing his mother goodbye earlier that morning, the young man headed out to the subway station, getting ready for class. The lectures in U of Tokyo were long and boring, the English Professor dragging on and on about colloquialisms. After class, himself and some of the other English-only students scheduled to meet later that day. Emi suggested a nearby café, one that he visited frequently to enjoy the company of the barista there. All in agreement, they took the train, entering the small shop. Emi stood out the most, having teal hair and being the tallest of his friends. They stood in line, looking up at the menu board, eventually each ordering their drinks. When it was Emi’s turn, his smile brightened, greeted by the familiar black haired employee.

“One latte, please.” He requested, paying for his drink as he looked at Hana. “Hey, uh, I mean-” He blushed sheepishly, “how do you say hello?”

The barista’s smile was one of amusement, taking his change. “It’s: konichiwa,” Hana said, murmuring jokingly under his breath after, “baka.”

Out of the minimal words that Emi recognized from Japanese,  _ baka _ was one of them. He blushed even more, certain that his face was a tomato as he giggled. “Y-Yeah, right, forgot.” He murmured. “I am not an idiot, by the way!” Their tones were playful by now, having been friends for almost a whole semester. Sitting with the rest of his classmates, a few of them nudged his shoulder, smirking at him. “Is this the guy you were talking about, Emi?” Kristopher murmured.

Miraculously, his blush grew, practically encompassing his body. He nodded as the boys laughed. “Just-don’t embarrass me, okay?” He whispered with an urgent tone.

Getting started on their work, Emi tugged his laptop out of his bag, typing away. Their drinks arrived a few minutes later, Emi looking up to meet Hana’s eyes. The kick under his table made him let out a shocked sound, casting a glare at Adam who wiggled his eyebrows. 

Oh if only the teal-haired male could bash his head off a table.

Hana seemed lost, to Emi’s relief, looking between the four of them curiously before giving a short bow and letting them be, returning to work. Air refilled Emi’s lungs as he relaxed, frowning faintly at the boys before returning to his work.

“You should ask him out!” Adam murmured, gazing over their textbook.

“No way!” He whispered back. “He just broke up with his girlfriend, and he is definitely not into me.”

They talked about it for a few more minutes, Kristopher bringing up the idea of offering the ‘cute barista’ a date on Halloween.

\---

Emi hadn’t been able to focus on homework much that night, running over what he would say to Hana. Each time he recited it to himself, it sounded pretty okay; he would stop by the café on Halloween and ask him if he wanted to go out together. Just as friends, right?

Halloween brought no classes, just a shift at the hair salon. He busied himself with his regular customers in order to keep his mind off of Hana but time passed too quickly, 6 o’clock rolling around too soon. He clocked out, heading back to his apartment to get into his costume –a teal otter onesie that he had made himself. It had taken him quite a while to find the same colour fabric as his hair, having to adjust his own colouring slightly in order to match. It came with a hood as the head and a tail, the hands and feet as paws. He had absolutely loved it once it was finished, and he was excited to show it off.

Taking the subway was probably one of the most hilarious experiences. As a tall, teal haired, white male on the train, wearing an otter onesie, he knew there would be people staring at him, but he hadn’t expected the snaps of photos. He blushed, keeping his hood up as he stood by the door, the train halting and Emi exiting.

The café doors jingled pleasantly as he stepped in, stopping dead in his tracks. Hana was there... In a  _ butler _ costume, and holy Moses, he could pull it off. Feeling blood rush to his face, the man gathered his bearings, moving over to where the other was wiping down a table. “Uh- Hana?” He murmured, smiling softly as the other turned around.

Hana’s eyes widened, smiling as he chuckled. “Oh my,” he commented, looking at Emi’s adorable costume. “You look good!” He said, his accent slurring his English. Emi looked away, scuffing his feet as he readied himself. _Come on, mouth, please work._

“So, I uh, I remember you said that you were supposed to go out with your girlfriend today, but, I mean, you guys aren’t and I was wondering if after your shift you wanted to go out together with me instead? It could be fun…?” He offered nervously.

The Japanese man seemed a little shocked at the proposal, taking a moment to nod. “I’d like that.”

And now Emi could breathe again. He brightened, nodding with him excitedly. “Okay, yeah, great, thank you- I mean, yeah, uhm, thanks.” He stammered. He moved to sit down, picking the outdoor seating this time as he waited for Hana to end his shift.

It was only several minutes later that the other emerged, carrying a latte. Emi hadn’t ordered one, but Hana knew they were his favourite. Taking a breath, the butler set down the cup, leaning down, awkwardly kissing the top of the otter hood. “Arigato.”

Emi’s eyes widened, breath caught in his throat as he looked up at him. Even with his minimal Japanese, he knew what that meant.


End file.
